Kenta Maeda

Maeda entered 2014 regarded as the top pitcher in Japan after the departure of Masahiro Tanaka to MLB. While his W-L record declined to 11-9 and his ERA increased to a five-year high, he still had a 2...

The Hiroshima Carp are unlikely to accept bids for Maeda under the posting system due to his disappointing 2014 season, the Kyodo news service reports. Maeda was 11-9 with a 2.60 ERA with a 161:41 K:BB ratio in 187 innings.

Maeda has announced he'd like to move to MLB and could be posted by his team in Japan, the Hiroshima Carp, this winter, Baseball America reports. "You only have one career in baseball. I want to be able go,
when I feel I am ready to make the challenge," Maeda told the Kyodo news service.

Maeda is regarded as the second best pitcher in Japan after Masahiro Tanaka. He went 15-7 with a 2.10 ERA and 158:40 K:BB ratio in 175.2 innings last season. When signing his 2014 contract with the Hiroshima Carp, Maeda declared his intent to move to MLB for 2015. He's been a reliable innings eater throughout his NPB career; and features a fastball at 90-94, and breaking pitch that traverses the plane from cutter to slider. He should figure prominently in a 2015 MLB rotation as a result.